How To Organize Your Home

How To Organize Your Home Room By Room

Always wondering how to organize your home?

Are you are in a constant cycle of cleaning things up. Really just moving things around. Trying to make things look as tidy as possible.

Do you ever think that an organized home is about as likely as winning the lottery? That was me.

Up until about a year ago.

My husband and I had decided to move. So, I was going to have to pack up everything in the house! To say I was overwhelmed and terrified is an understatement!

Couldn’t we just leave everything behind! Unfortunately, that was not at all an option. I was just so desperate to not have to deal with what I knew had to happen.

For a few days, I remember just feeling a complete lack of motivation. Looking back I think I was crippled by fear. My house had always been clean but organized was a whole new ball game.

Like most things, getting started was the hard part.

But I did it!

I started with one area at a time. And there was so much stuff. Too much stuff!

There was no reason my family of three needed that much stuff.

I starting donating things left and right. It felt amazing. The house felt bigger. It felt cleaner. I felt lighter.

I may have broken out in song and dance a few times. My happy dance was happening and I didn’t care who was watching. OK, it was just my kid watching but you get the idea.

An organized home makes me happy. To be honest, it is a necessity for me.

I knew I was not living in organizational heaven but this entire experience was an eye-opener.

The funny part is we did not end up moving. But I have never loved our home more than I do now.

Here Are Some Simple Tips on How to Organize Your Home…and How to Stay Organized!

1) Create A List

I am a list lover. I believe starting with a list is the most important part of this project. In my eyes, it has the power to make or break it all.

Where do you want to start? Is there a closet that is driving you nuts every time you look at it?

A kid’s room that you have pretty much given up on?

Obsessed with how to organize your closet?

Find yourself daydreaming about how to organize your room!

Put every little one of those things on this list.

Organizing your home is not a tiny task. More like an elephant-sized one. It can really help to organize your thoughts and goals before you start organizing your space.

And it will feel good to cross tasks off as they are completed.

This is not easy! I mean think about it. There are people that do this for a living. A lot of dang people out there must not be master organizers if other people are making careers out of it.

Please! Don’t skip this step.

This will also help with not jumping back and forth between this and that.

Pick a task. Start it. Finish it. And of course, give yourself a pat on the back.

Just don’t go out and buy something new as a reward!

2) Don’t Get(too) Discouraged

Let me clear this up quickly. You will get discouraged. It will get messy. Even messier than it was before you started.

The hard part is seeing the clutter all spread out and feeling like throwing in the towel.

Nobody sees that closet anyway. It is a great hiding spot. No way. Don’t let that mindset take over.

Think about the end goal. How amazing you will feel when you open a cupboard and nothing falls out and smacks you on the head!

Let’s talk time for a second.

I can not tell you a time frame of how long this will take. I have no idea how much you need to get organized.

Or how much time you have to devote to this project.

I will say this. Try to do a small area every day. And a larger area once a week.

Set small goals and crush them!

3) Ready, Set, Purge

Let it go. Let it go. Yes, just like the song from that movie. Elsa knew what she was talking about.

So the first thing I always do when I am trying to organize any space is to go through everything.

You are going to get rid of stuff!

Hopefully, quite a bit of stuff.

Remember that list you made. Grab it. Pick where to start.

Now, take everything out. Let out a scream. If you are anything like me then there is a lot of stuff.

It does take some time to look at every single thing. But put on some good music and power through.

If you don’t go through and purge then you will end up just playing a game of moving things from one space to another. Maybe a place they are more hidden and out of the way but your goal was not to play hide and seek with your stuff. It was to get organized, remember?

Are there things you can donate?

Things you can sell?

Garbage?

The answer is yes. Yes to all of the above.

I can go through my home every few months and always find something that can go bye-bye.

Gone are the days of keeping a shirt I haven’t worn in a year. Don’t get sucked into the “someday” excuse.

There is one exception.

If something has sentimental value, it can stay obviously. Even if it doesn’t have a place.

I had to accept that my daughter’s overflowing artwork drawer did not qualify as sentimental value. I chose a couple of things to keep and hang up and the rest was garbage!

Luckily, I only felt like a monster for a few days. Mom life!

4) This Will Take Time

Do not think this is a weekend project. Unless you only have a very small space that needs organizing. Like a closet or two.

I literally had my entire house.

But I will say this. Once you start, you may enjoy the satisfaction so much that you will begin to enjoy this process.

Yeah. I said it. Enjoy.

But really prepare yourself for this to take some time.

Be realistic. Don’t overdo it.

This brings me back to that list again.

Is it obvious I am list obsessed? No shame in my list game!

If you only have 15 extra minutes one day that is fine. Choose a drawer to organize. A small task from your list. Don’t set yourself up for failure!

Everyone is busy. I am not suggesting you spend 4 hours every single day banging everything on your list out.

First of all, I don’t think many people have that much extra time.

And secondly, burnout is inevitable that way. You want to do it at your pace and the right way.

Do not rush through and end up with everything being half organized.

5) Does This Have a Home?

If you want to stay organized things need a home. And if it has no home then either find one or it doesn’t belong.

I found a bag full of old cords in our hall closet. All the way at the back. I actually had to get a chair to reach it.

And at first, I was going to go through and see if I should keep any of them. Really? Cords that I had not seen in years. Safe to say we did not need those.

Do you know what else will happen? You will forget about most of the stuff! When I went on my donating rampage my house was full of boxes. In the end, there were 5 boxes left. I ended up doing another purge and only 2 boxes were left.

Winning.

The key to this home idea is simple.

Once things have a home, always put them back in their home when you are done!

6) Something In/Something Out

This can apply to any room in your house. But it is especially perfect when it comes to your children. And the mounds of things they have.

I know my child is not the only one to have taken over a house. Sometimes I joke that I could have a few more kids and not need to buy a single thing.

Experience gifts are at the top of our list these days!

Do you know what is going to ruin all the hard work you did? Stuff. A lot of stuff that is simply not needed.

Try to be very thoughtful about the things coming into your home.

The one-in/one-out method is a great tool for staying on track.

7) Keep It Up

Things will get messy again. You will accumulate more stuff. Even if you are picky about what comes into your home.

Don’t ask me how it happens. Some days I am convinced there are magic elves that sneak things into my house.

Or maybe it is my husband and his inability to tell our daughter no when she asks for things. Especially when they go out for a daddy-daughter day. Dang if that kid doesn’t come home with something.

Daily tidying up will help things stay on track. This list of daily habits will come in handy.

And every few months or so do a check-in with yourself to see how things are. Are things looking pretty good? Does the organization still reign supreme?

Is clutter creeping back in?

I used to have a hard time getting rid of things. But now, I have no problem with it. My sanity is more important than stuff. I did not do all that work for nothing.

I hope these tips motivate you to get the ball moving.

What’s that saying? Happy wife, happy life?

I agree somewhat. But I’m gonna say there aren’t many things better than an organized home!

An organized home is a happy home.

Ain’t nobody got time for clutter! Bye, Felicia.

Got any awesome tips for how to organize your home?

I would love to hear them!

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